Suffering and Personality Type

[FGG]

I think you have completely misunderstood what I was trying to say.

As per the title of this thread, I'm simply agreeing with the suggestion that certain personality types have harder time dealing with tinnitus.

There are certain breeds of dogs (and individual dogs within the same breed) that just seem to handle similar pain and stress better than others. I don't see why this would be unique to dogs.

This is not to say it's the dog's fault (or person) if their suffering is greater. This is not because one dog is more positive of a thinker than another or has a better personality.

Some people really do seem to suffer more. Unfortunately, that is often used as a way to dismiss suffering. People can point to a rare "inspirational" person and say anyone can do that. To me, that makes as much sense as expecting a Chihuahua to have the pain tolerance of a pit bull.

 

[Harley]

Unfortunately, that is often used as a way to dismiss suffering. People can point to a rare "inspirational" person and say anyone can do that. To me, that makes as much sense as expecting a Chihuahua to have the pain tolerance of a pit bull.

You are 100% correct.

There is nothing worse than someone pointing to uncle Bob, who also has tinnitus and attempting the "if he can do it so can you" type of ignorant and completely misguided comparison.

Uncle Bob's Tinnitus is different.
His DNA makeup is different than yours.
His psychological profile is also different, and so are his brain chemicals.
He is also wired differently and his tolerance levels are different as well.

If we absolutely have to compare, it is the actual level of distress that should be compared instead.
This could be done through the THI scale.
Although not perfect, that is most likely the best tool for this kind of stuff.

So even if uncle Bob's tinnitus is 10x louder than yours, he might only score 20 points on the THI scale due to all those above mentioned factors, while you might be well over 80.
And that is the only thing that matters.
This is why all that motivational crap rubs me the wrong way.

Motivational pep talk should be left for the dressing rooms at sporting events, where it belongs.
Not for horrid health conditions, which can be neither cured or controlled.

 

[FGG]

You are 100% correct.

There is nothing worse than someone pointing to uncle Bob, who also has tinnitus and attempting the "if he can do it so can you" type of ignorant and completely misguided comparison.

Uncle Bob's Tinnitus is different.
His DNA makeup is different than yours.
His psychological profile is also different, and so are his brain chemicals.
He is also wired differently and his tolerance levels are different as well.

If we absolutely have to compare, it is the actual level of distress that should be compared instead.
This could be done through the THI scale.
Although not perfect, that is most likely the best tool for this kind of stuff.

So even if uncle Bob's tinnitus is 10x louder than yours, he might only score 20 points on the THI scale due to all those above mentioned factors, while you might be well over 80.
And that is the only thing that matters.
This is why all that motivational crap rubs me the wrong way.

Motivational pep talk should be left for the dressing rooms at sporting events, where it belongs.
Not for horrid health conditions, which can be neither cured or controlled.

Agree with everything except that last part. We are, for the first time in history, on our way to actually treating these things at their source instead of just focusing on psychological intervention. Tinnitus and other hearing related issues will be treated. It's only a matter of time. The trick is holding out until then.

 

[valeri]

I simply refuse to participate in this sub-human like existence filled with 24/7 torture and anxiety.

Same here, surviving is not living! And I would rather be dead than spend another 30-40 years surviving. Not for me, not at all.

 

[PeteJ]

I think you have completely misunderstood what I was trying to say.

As per the title of this thread, I'm simply agreeing with the suggestion that certain personality types have harder time dealing with tinnitus.

Oh okay. I just think severe tinnitus will have similar reactions 'on average ' for obvious reasons. Some variances due to personality differences sure but no one can easily cope with multiple toned, high pitched tinnitus, right?

 

[Harley]

Agree with everything except that last part. We are, for the first time in history, on our way to actually treating these things at their source instead of just focusing on psychological intervention. Tinnitus and other hearing related issues will be treated. It's only a matter of time. The trick is holding out until then.

Yes you are right about this being a matter of time before we have something that we can actually use.

But even those on the more optimistic side, can't really see anything tangible coming down the pipes in less than 3 years.
Don't know if I can hold on for that long.

I thought Lenire would be that thing, but the inconclusive, mixed bag reviews do not inspire confidence.

At least not enough to do the Dublin shuffle four times, along with all the expenses.
So this is where we are at now.

 

[Bartoli]

Oh okay. I just think severe tinnitus will have similar reactions 'on average ' for obvious reasons. Some variances due to personality differences sure but no one can easily cope with multiple toned, high pitched tinnitus, right?

Seems like Dr. Nagler does that. How he does it, I honestly don't know...

 

[Bartoli]

You are 100% correct.

There is nothing worse than someone pointing to uncle Bob, who also has tinnitus and attempting the "if he can do it so can you" type of ignorant and completely misguided comparison.

Uncle Bob's Tinnitus is different.
His DNA makeup is different than yours.
His psychological profile is also different, and so are his brain chemicals.
He is also wired differently and his tolerance levels are different as well.

If we absolutely have to compare, it is the actual level of distress that should be compared instead.
This could be done through the THI scale.
Although not perfect, that is most likely the best tool for this kind of stuff.

So even if uncle Bob's tinnitus is 10x louder than yours, he might only score 20 points on the THI scale due to all those above mentioned factors, while you might be well over 80.
And that is the only thing that matters.
This is why all that motivational crap rubs me the wrong way.

Motivational pep talk should be left for the dressing rooms at sporting events, where it belongs.
Not for horrid health conditions, which can be neither cured or controlled.

If only we could all be more like Uncle Bob...

 

[Molto7]

I'm just thinking out loud, could it be that some people (me for example) have totally wrong personality to ever deal with something like this?

Chronic worrier, control freak, perfectionist, every problem has to have a solution sort of person???

And we all know how much control we have over tinnitus

I simply can not accept such a horrible imperfection in my life!

I never considered this way of thinking, but I think you're on to something. I'm a chronic worrier. I have terrible generalized anxiety disorder and when my T first started I was a mess. I wasn't eating, drinking, sleeping, working. I wanted to die and I thought, because of my anxiety, I'd never be able to accept this. Its not 9 months later though and while my T is definitely still there..I accept it. Its annoys me to no end. Sometimes it makes me genuinely angry. But I don't freak out about it anymore and I think its because I've had a lot of things happen to me in my life that just weren't fair and I shouldn't have had to go through or deal with, but they DID happen and I DID deal with it and this is just another one of those things. Its unfair and I didn't do anything to cause it but its here anyways and I just have to get over it. So its weird...I thought my life of one trauma after the other would make it harder for me to deal with the T but it seems it may actually be helping. Odd.

 

[alex1975]

Great thread... I've been toying with that idea for months. I've always been a hypochondriac and anxiety has always run deep in my veins. It is and issue I've dealt with my whole life. I've also had agoraphobia in the past, which is under the OCD umbrella so to speak, so I'm definitely prone to OCD in other aspects of my life. In my case, I definitely think that over obsessing, worrying And hyper focusing on my tinnitus makes things worse and probably seem louder.

 

[all to gain]

Agree with everything except that last part. We are, for the first time in history, on our way to actually treating these things at their source instead of just focusing on psychological intervention. Tinnitus and other hearing related issues will be treated. It's only a matter of time. The trick is holding out until then.

Yeah, but how long do we have to wait? I think it could still be at least another 10 years. Probably more.

And the great white hope called Lenire has been nothing but disappointing.

 

[Molto7]

Yeah, but how long do we have to wait? I think it could still be at least another 10 years. Probably more.

And the great white hope called Lenire has been nothing but disappointing.

Why do you say it's been nothing but disappointing? I didn't know it was even out for public use yet.

 

[all to gain]

Why do you say it's been nothing but disappointing? I didn't know it was even out for public use yet.

It's been out a while. and I'm not impressed with the results. Look at the Lenire threads.

 

[FGG]

For the record, I wasn't talking about Lenire. My hopes lie in regenerative medicine and the much more rigorously tested bimodal devices.